Looking to get into trapping

snare75 · 01-19-2009, 09:56 AM

I am looking to set a few traps this year for some bobcats and otter just for fun and then put up the fur myself maybe even try and tan them. I only have a 5 foot holds so it will be a short line to check after school, but fun anyways. let me know if you have any good advice. Also pm if you have any traps that i could add to my line. thanks

Rakkasan · 01-19-2009, 10:13 AM

If you are going to trap use a live trap. This is a sore subject with me as my lab, when I was 14, got nailed with a leg hold trap that was set by a Russian family. Thank God I was home and heard her yelping in the distance. I freed her foot and got her to the vet. I also demolished 6 other traps and put them on there front door. The result was our mailbox was ripped down and defecated in. There result was being cuffed and off to jail for a month, max fines, a $900.00 vet bill, and not being liked by our small community in Mollala. They eventually moved. Thank God I was not older at the time. I would have went to jail.

Jellyhead · 01-19-2009, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSRods

If you are going to trap use a live trap. This is a sore subject with me as my lab, when I was 14, got nailed with a leg hold trap that was set by a Russian family. Thank God I was home and heard her yelping in the distance. I freed her foot and got her to the vet. I also demolished 6 other traps and put them on there front door. The result was our mailbox was ripped down and defecated in. There result was being cuffed and off to jail for a month, max fines, a $900.00 vet bill, and not being liked by our small community in Mollala. They eventually moved. Thank God I was not older at the time. I would have went to jail.

DSRods,

I am sorry you have had such a negative experience with trapping. If done correctly, it is a good wildlife managment tool, and can be a great way to learn the habits of our furbearers.

All trappers in oregon are required to take a trapper's ed. course and pass before legally trapping. Unfortunatley, your experience sounds like it was not a legal trap set, and I am sorry that your dog was hurt. Most foothold traps are not injurous to lab size dogs (other than swelling, which happens to anyone caught in them, including myself multiple times each year while setting them.) Toothed traps are not legal, and depending on the knowledge of the trapper, most non target animals will not be caught.

My own dog has been caught in my traps and not hurt. Other than the initial suprise and discomfort, no damage what so ever (and she is a hard hunting english setter) I was there to release her immediatley. If I was to irresponisbly let her run free and she was caught without my knowledge and spent a night or two in a trap, then there may be some long term necrosis or nerve damage to her foot, but that would entirely be my fault for not being a responsible dog owner in the first place.... I sure wouldn't be worring about going to jail because of that??

Aaron

nevermiss · 01-19-2009, 10:59 AM

You DO have to be careful with leg hold traps. I was hunting the Tillamook forest once with an older Lab of mine when she stepped into one. Not badly hurt, thankfully, but I totally wrecked that trap. She fetched both grouse and mountain quail later that day, once we located them.

Rank Amateur · 01-19-2009, 12:05 PM

All traps and snares are required to have the brand number on the trap, this is your link to the owner, via ODF&W.

Disturbing or destroying a legal trap or snare is a violation of the law. I hope we are not advocating this since that is a violation of the AUP folks.

Teeb · 01-19-2009, 02:02 PM

I've never trapped, so I can't give that type of advice. However .... I can make a suggestion. Perhaps there is a trapper in your area that might be willing to teach you some basics. It would go a long way toward your success and also make you a safe and responsible trapper. But as with anything ---don't expect him to give up his best ground and his best tactics for you. Learn from him, but be sure to show him respect, and honor any rules he asks you to abide by.

klr kut · 01-19-2009, 05:42 PM

There's a leash law in Oregon keep your dog under your control. I trap on my own place and have caught many straying dogs. That did'nt make it home. I've had traps stolen to. Thats against the law not to mention trespassing.

dubl_t · 01-19-2009, 10:11 PM

Snare75, you can order the trappers education packet online here:
http://www.dfw.state.or.us/outdoor_s...er/trapper.asp

Looks like trapping is kind of controversial, even on this side of the fence, and that's very unfortunate. Like was mentioned, trapping is a very effective management tool as well as an important part of American history.

Cornbread · 01-20-2009, 07:23 AM

I trap and grew up trapping but on this board it isn't an easy thing to discuss because of lot of folks who are even hunters don't understand trapping and will destroy or tear up a set if they find them, especially if their dog has been caught in them. They see their dog get scared and they react and take it out on the trap and trappers in general. At worst their dog has a sore paw but most dogs make it sound like they are dying so of course their owners love them and react. It would be nice if people would react the same as they would like me to react if I find their trailcam in the woods but as you can see reading down through this tread and usually any other trapping thread that pops up on this forum that isn't always the case. Trapping discussion here tends to be only slightly less polarizing than wolves and political party affiliation. Sad but true. I have been trapping since I was 8, I started with muskrats and eventually did damage control trapping for different agencies. Now mostly I just do it when I want a pelt for a project like a quiver or a wall hanging something like that but it used to be my main source of income as a kid through my late teens.

Jellyhead · 01-20-2009, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cornbread

I trap and grew up trapping but on this board it isn't an easy thing to discuss because of lot of folks who are even hunters don't understand trapping and will destroy or tear up a set if they find them, especially if their dog has been caught in them. They see their dog get scared and they react and take it out on the trap and trappers in general. At worst their dog has a sore paw but most dogs make it sound like they are dying so of course their owners love them and react. It would be nice if people would react the same as they would like me to react if I find their trailcam in the woods but as you can see reading down through this tread and usually any other trapping thread that pops up on this forum that isn't always the case. Trapping discussion here tends to be only slightly less polarizing than wolves and political party affiliation. Sad but true. I have been trapping since I was 8, I started with muskrats and eventually did damage control trapping for different agencies. Now mostly I just do it when I want a pelt for a project like a quiver or a wall hanging something like that but it used to be my main source of income as a kid through my late teens.

It's funny you mentioned trail cams, Cornbread.

Alot of trappers are using them now days to see what animals are passing up sets. They are also a nice tool to know who is messing with your traps!

But, like you said....Most people that would steal or destroy a trap, would steal or destroy a trail cam, too.

Aaron

garyk · 01-20-2009, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cornbread

At worst their dog has a sore paw but most dogs make it sound like they are dying so of course their owners love them and react. ...

True for leghold traps.

Not true for conibears if your dog sticks its head in the set.

garyk · 01-20-2009, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klr kut

I trap on my own place and have caught many straying dogs. That did'nt make it home. .

So much for only a sore paw

rimrock · 01-20-2009, 11:46 AM

I upland hunt quite a bit in the SE. It�s pretty common to find at least one former trap set site each day in the field. This year was the first time my dog got caught in a #4 coil spring leg hold. Dog of course was yelping up a storm, but I got him out (being an offset trap made it pretty easy to do) limped for awhile. All-in-all no big deal, I wasn�t mad at all. Just one of those things when you share the uplands.

BUT if I ever come across a large beaver coinbear type trap on a land set, I�d make it my mission to get that guy busted. For one it�s illegal on land and it would seriously **** me off.

Jellyhead · 01-20-2009, 12:10 PM

Rimrock and Garyk,

You guys are absolutely right! Large conibears have no place on land.

The oregon trappers association even put out a letter to everyone and it has been addressed at meetings, that even though we can set some conibears on land, we must do so with extreme discretion or we will lose the use of them. Every trapper I personally know has heeded that warning.

Aaron

Cornbread · 01-20-2009, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garyk

True for leghold traps.

Not true for conibears if your dog sticks its head in the set.

I don't know anyone dumb enough to put a large conibear on land. I'm sure they exist because all groups of people have that 2% of pure stupid that we just can't cure but I have never in 20+ years of trapping seen a 220 or larger set on land for any reason. There is simply no reason to ever go that route, you can accomplish the set some other way and if for some unknown reason that I have never seen you do come across a place where a 220 or larger set on land is the only thing that would work I would say trap some where else no fur is worth the risk that conibears set on land pose to non-target species and people. The reason I say people is I have been on the wrong end of a 220 or 330 (I can't remember which one it was, it was when I was a kid) on my arm and OMG! are they hard to get off and yes it hurt.

DakotaTheKiller · 01-20-2009, 02:00 PM

I don't have anything to suggest, really..

But I have heard beaver bait works great in a live trap. I've also been told that if you've caught a raccoon in the trap before, a Bobcat will NOT come into the trap.

The only thing I know from experience is check the trap as often as possible, without much human scent on the trail the trap is set on. You might catch a neighbors cat, regardless of the distance between their house, and your trap. Also, be sure when setting a live trap there is no grass, rocks, dirt, etc. in front of the spring latch that keeps the door shut and locked otherwise the animal can turn around and walk out.

Goodluck, and be sure to let us know how well you do in the future years.

Poindexter · 01-20-2009, 04:45 PM

I had a trapline in Montana when I was in my early teens. Mainly tried to trap foxes, mostly caught some ferrets and magpies. Good way for a kid to spend the early hour or two of the morning, in the outdoors, checking the line. I used to de-scent the traps in boiling water with wood ash added. I used various scents and baits (used a lot of pieces of upland bird). My line was along a river and I used little holes on the river bank and set the traps back inside them. Shot more fox while checking the line than I ever caught -- they're not the easiest to catch (but maybe I wasn't that good!). Good luck, have fun and be safe.

klr kut · 01-20-2009, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garyk

So much for only a sore paw

I didn't say what happened to them. Check the pound.

Grain of Salt · 01-21-2009, 09:23 AM

Curious as to what you do with the carcass once it has been skinned...

soup, crab bait, open a deli?

Cornbread · 01-21-2009, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Grain of Salt

Curious as to what you do with the carcass once it has been skinned...

soup, crab bait, open a deli?

Depends on the animal. Coons, skunks etc. just toss them or use them as bait. I would have to check the regs to see if bait sets are legal here though, I am talking about what I did as a kid running a line before and after school in MN and ND. Beavers you can eat if you cut out the glands pretty much everything is edible if you are hungry enough but for regular times pretty much we only ever ate the beavers and the rest we cubed up and made into bait for trapping or for minnow and crayfish traps.